This film is kind of an interesting one to talk about. First of all, I read the book and really enjoyed it. Then when I saw the film, I thought it was a great adaptation and a darn good movie. But I was surprised to see so many negative reviews. Normally, I don’t let other people’s reviews get in the way of my opinion, but when I looked at the reviews, I noticed a pattern.

It seemed like people who read the book liked the film a lot more than people who didn’t. So, something about this movie isn’t making the translation right. There are moments that work fine for me, but don’t for others because they’re not getting the full context and the emotion of the situation.

And it’s odd, because when I think back, I can’t think of anything that this movie did really wrong. Sure, there are one or two things that I would have done differently, but for the most part, I think it was a very well done adaptation of the novel.

I’ll admit, I was nervous before I saw this movie. The film’s director is Tate Taylor, who directed The Help. Which is a great movie, but that film’s tone is very different than Girl On The Train. I was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but he does a good job with the material.

Now, every review I’ve read, wether positive or negative, has praised Emily Blunt’s performance, and… they’re right. When Blunt is on screen, we can tell that we are looking at a broken woman, the emptiness in her eyes and her struggle to keep herself together are evident in every frame. Not to mention, she’s incredibly convincing in the scenes where she has to act drunk. The other members of the cast all do a fine job, but Blunt is clearly the MVP.

I honestly really enjoyed this movie, but I don’t know if you would like it or not. I was going to give it 4 1/2 stars, but all the other reviews have me wondering if there’s something about this movie I’m just not seeing, so I lowered the grade. Still, I think this film is definitely worth seeing, if only for Blunt’s performance.

****